Badgers Halt No. 2 Hoosiers; Top 25 Preview
Following a week that saw the remaining three undefeated sides fall in dramatic fashion, another top five contender found itself on the wrong side of the scoreboard Tuesday night.
BettingSports.com takes a look at last night’s Top 25 action, and previews those games on tap Wednesday.
TUESDAY RECAP
Wisconsin 64, No. 2 Indiana 59
After climbing the AP poll this week, Indiana fell to Wisconsin on Tuesday night, a result that could have big consequences when next week's poll is announced.
Having climbed to the No. 2 spot in the Associated Press rankings, Indiana (15-2, 3-1 Big Ten) missed out on a golden opportunity to cement its position at the top of the polls.
For the 11th straight meeting, Wisconsin (13-4, 4-0 Big Ten) defeated the Hoosiers, this time taking sole possession of the top spot in the Big Ten. The win comes just four days after the Badgers knocked-off a No. 12 ranked Illinois side.
Indiana now faces the distinct possibility that it will slip down the polls – as it did following a loss to Butler on Dec. 15 – and will be looking up at those one-loss sides. Wisconsin may be nudging its way into the Top 25 at this rate.
Bettors taking Wisconsin straight up or against the spread (+12.5) closed out Tuesday with a smile on their face. The total (133) went under. Wisconsin is now 6-9-0 ATS. Indiana is now 9-6-0 ATS.
Northern Iowa 68, No. 12 Creighton 79
No. 12 Creighton (17-1, 6-0 MVC) took the victory straight up, but it was Northern Iowa (9-9, 2-4 MVC) that covered the spread (+13) in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday night.
The Panthers improve to 8-9-0 ATS, while the Blue Jays’ tally reads 12-4-0 ATS.
The total (137) went over marking the fifth time for both sides the total exceeded the marker this season.
No. 20 Notre Dame 63, St. Johns 67
No. 20 Notre Dame (14-3, 2-2 Big East) saw its Top 25 credentials take a big hit with a loss at Madison Square Garden to St. Johns (10-7, 2-3 Big East).
The Red Storm, coming off a lackluster performance against Georgetown on Saturday, held on for an unexpected win, and handed the Irish a second straight loss. The upset win saw St. John’s cover a 6.5-point spread, as the total (133) went under.
Notre Dame is now 7-6-1 ATS, while St. John’s is 5-7-0 ATS.
WEDNESDAY PREVIEW
No. 14 North Carolina State at Maryland
After toppling the mighty Duke on Saturday, North Carolina State will look to continue its winning ways with a visit to a favored Maryland side.
After handing Duke its first loss of the season on Saturday, North Carolina State (14-2, 3-0 ACC) will travel to College Park, Md., to take on a Maryland (13-3, 1-2 ACC) side looking to even out its conference record.
The Terrapins have lost two on the bounce, dropping a close one at home to Florida State last Wednesday before coming up short in Miami (FL) on Sunday. The team is 11-1 at home, and will look to hold off a Wolfpack side with a 1-1 road record.
Bookmakers have the Terrapins as a one-point favorite at home. Maryland (5-3-1 ATS) just edges out NC State (8-5-1 ATS) in terms of percentage covering the spread, but this is a close one to call.
The over/under is 149. Of those games where the line has included a total, Maryland has seen two go over and two go under, while NC State has seen six go over and four go under.
No. 18 Michigan State at Penn State
Having failed to live up to the preseason hype so far this season, Michigan State (14-3, 3-1 Big Ten) will look to move one step closer to the top of the Big Ten on Wednesday.
The Spartans will have a good opportunity as they visit a Penn State (8-8, 0-4 Big Ten) side still in search of its first conference win. Four straight losses have the Nittany Lions well and truly looking up at the rest of the Big Ten.
Michigan State enters the game as favorites, with the spread at 12 points. Both the Spartans (5-9-0 ATS) and the Nittany Lions (4-7-1 ATS) have struggled covering this season, which may be the only lifeline Penn State has going into this one.
The total is 123.5. Both sides have shown a prevalence for sending the total under this season, which makes it the smart bet.
No. 19 New Mexico at Boise State
No. 19 New Mexico (15-2, 2-0 MWC) will look to hold its position at the top of the Mountain West Conference on Wednesday. To do so, the Lobos will need to defeat Boise State (13-2, 1-0 MWC), a team with its own conference aspirations.
New Mexico has scored two wins over ranked opposition in its last four games, which is a big reason the side is listed in the AP poll. Boise State meanwhile has won seven straight games and is looking to roll.
Odds makers like the Broncos to upset the Lobos in this one, with the spread at 2.5 points. Boise state (7-4-0 ATS) has a better record than New Mexico (8-7-1 ATS) in terms of covering the spread, and is unbeaten (7-0) at home this season. New Mexico is 3-1 on the road.
Wednesday’s AP Top 25 Schedule (in full)
Richmond (11-6, 1-1 A 10) at No. 13 Butler (14-2, 2-0 A 10)
- Favorite: Butler Spread: 8 Total: N/A
No. 14 North Carolina State (14-2, 3-0 ACC) at Maryland (13-3, 1-2 ACC)
- Favorite: Maryland Spread: 1 Total: 149
UNLV (14-3, 1-1 MWC) at No. 15 San Diego State (14-2, 2-0 MWC)
- Favorite: San Diego State Spread: 4 Total: 135
No. 16 Kansas State (15-1, 3-0 Big 12) at TCU (9-7, 0-3 Big 12)
- Favorite: Kansas State Spread: 11 Total: N/A
Georgia (6-9, 0-2 SEC) at No. 17 Missouri (12-3, 1-1 SEC)
- Favorite: Missouri Spread: 14.5 Total: N/A
No. 18 Michigan State (14-3, 3-1 Big Ten) at Penn State (8-8, 0-4 Big Ten)
- Favorite: Michigan State Spread: 12 Total: 123.5
No. 19 New Mexico (15-2, 2-0 MWC) at Boise State (13-2, 1-0 MWC)
- Favorite: Boise State Spread: 2.5 Total: N/A
Seton Hall (12-5, 1-3 Big East) at No. 25 Marquette (12-3, 3-0 Big East)
- Favorite: Marquette Spread: 9 Total: N/A
